Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan took home the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last weekend, with his latest Anatolian epic, "Winter Sleep." Steven Zeitchik of the Los Angeles Times crafts a fine primer covering Ceylan's latest film and his catalog.
For the second year in a row, the Cannes jury went for a three-hour film. Last year's winner was the brilliant relationship film "Blue Is the Warmest Color." Ceylan, like few others, understands the fundamental ways in which humans interact.
Here's my take on Ceylan's four previous efforts, from most to least favorite:
- CLIMATES (2006) (A) - The relationship film that all others are measured by. Three seasons in the life of a couple (Ceylan himself and his real-life wife). A scene early in the film focused on her in closeup, in which a range of emotions passes over her face, is breathtaking. Who hasn't been left adrift in the cold?
- ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (2011) (A-minus) - A long and winding police procedural (it's 150 minutes), in which police search for a dead body in the Anatolian countryside. Funny and insightful.
- THREE MONKEYS (2008) (A-minus) - A slow boiler of a thriller revolving around a husband, wife and son, pained by a past tragedy. The father offers to do time for his boss's crime. Will that tear apart the family?
- DISTANT (2002) (B+) - A photographer descends into an existential crisis after his wife leaves him. His cousin from the country visits, presenting a challenge. Claustrophobic and wry.
Here's the trailer for "Winter Sleep." It's got French subtitles, but you can catch the drift:
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